2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

True Christianity is not a religion; it's a relationship. There is a huge, impassable chasm between us and God, but God Himself became the bridge. True Christianity proclaims eternal life as a gift, bought FOR us BY God. Every other religion, every single one, is all about how to please God - how to earn eternity. What makes a cult a cult is that it takes Christian doctrine and twists it until it no longer saves you. Every one of them is built around the rules you must keep and the work you must do to please God.

Here is a good article on the definition of a cult:

What is a cult? By Bob and Gretchen Passantino (authors of The Cultist at Your Door)

It's heartbreaking when a loved one gets involved with a cult, especially if you've prayed for that person to truly know Jesus as his savior. It's like watching a starving person grab for poison in an effort to alleviate his hunger. How could you possibly just stand by and watch? Our love for the person compels us to share God's truth.

But, what about those people that just show up at our door? Or sit at the next desk? I look at every one of those as a divine appointment, scheduled by God. It was no accident that brought that particular person across your path.

In the case of a loved one, a co-worker or someone that you have an ongoing relationship with, pray for opportunities to speak, but be patient. Over the years, God has given me several chances to share the gospel openly with two of my brothers. I don't speak of it every time I see them, or they would simply discount me as a nutcase. I hope that if the Holy Spirit continues to work on their hearts, that eventually they will know Jesus as their savior. I just do my best to really "live" my faith, so that they can see the difference in me and ask about it. And they have!

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

But, with those folks at the door, you may never get another chance to share the gospel. Be prepared ahead of time, by knowing what you believe and why you believe it. God doesn't want us to stay baby Christians but to grow in knowledge of Him and His word.

In the book Handbook of Today's Religions by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, (The entire book is available online here) Chris Elkins, a former Unification Church "Moonie" member, points out that the majority of cult members left a mainline, denominational church. They had a child's understanding of Jesus, the Bible and salvation and fell prey to people who seemed to have answers to their questions.

Those people at your door can be very persuasive, and sometimes they can say things that cause confusion. When I was "younger in my faith," I just kindly said that I wasn't interested when Jehovah Witnesses knocked on my door. Later, I actually prayed, "Lord, when you know I'm ready, send me a Jehovah Witness." Interestingly, I wasn't visited for quite a while after that!

The day came, however, when a woman knocked on my door. I could tell she was a Jehovah Witness by the materials she held. I knew that her visit wasn't an accident, but an answer to my prayer. My words weren't perfect, I'm sure, but I trust that God used them somehow. Former cult members have told me that they didn't get the entire gospel from any one person, but a little here and a little there. It was the Holy Spirit who put it together in their minds.

http://www.watchtower.org/ (The official web site of the Jehovah Witness organization)

http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm

http://www.kevinquick.com/kkministries/ (Very good information from a former Jehovah Witness)

http://www.watchman.org/jw/index.htm (Many articles)

My own letter to a Jehovah Witness friend: http://www.geocities.com/christianconcerns/index-JehovahWitness.htm

http://www.what-do-mormons-believe.com/

http://www.beyondmormonism.com/

http://www.mazeministry.com/new/downloadbooks.htm

http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/index.html

Not everyone is agreed that Seventh Day Adventism is a cult. Members may be truly saved, but also have some pretty confused ideas that do not line up with biblical Christianity. The biggest problem is legalism, which can lead people to believe that they must earn their salvation.

http://www.sdaoutreach.org/

http://www.watchman.org/profile/sdapro.htm

My father and a number of people in my family, on both sides, were Christian Scientists. My father has still not fully escaped its grasp. People can be involved in the "health" aspects of Christian Science without realizing the full extent of their theology. Most Christian Scientists would consider themselves Christian. The way they are taught to read the Bible can amount to brain washing, as they will read the same words as we do, but having been taught what they "really mean," they come away with an entirely different understanding. This is fairly typical of cults.

In many ways, Christian Science is a lot like Hinduism, with Christian terminology. They deny the physical world, including sin, sickness and even death. "Evil" is defined as believing that the physical world is real. "Salvation" is coming to the understanding that only the spiritual world is real. Jesus did not die for our sins, but to show us the unreality of death.

Christian Science is one of the "mind" religions that began appearing in the 1800's. It grew very quickly, especially among those who considered themselves intellectual. It began declining when people started disassociating themselves with the "Christian" aspects and aligning themselves instead with eastern religions and New Age. While "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" is still the primary book, recent writings much more openly discuss "becoming God," which is the true essence of Christian Science. Pointing this out to older members, such as my father, can produce some violent reactions and total denial that this is what Christian Science teaches. However, you have only to read their own documents to see it plainly. Here are some quotes from this page:

http://www.spirituality.com/dt/toc_SH.jhtml (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy - their main book)

http://www.tfccs.com/ (Their official web site)

http://www.spirituality.com/ (An associated web site. Although this is a Christian Science web site, it's message is obscured enough that you will find some Christian authors featured here, such as Liz Curtis Higgs. It's unclear whether these people are knowingly associating themselves with this group. Given this association, I would be cautious about reading any of these authors)

http://www.christianscience.org/ (A good place to see the current thinking within Christian Science)

http://www.csmonitor.com/ (The Christian Science Monitor. This is a conservative newspaper and is secular, for the most part. Just know that the people who own it are from the same cult.)

www.christianway.org (An organization of former Christian Scientists. Some very good information here)

http://www.carm.org/christian_science.htm

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/science.htm

My own letter to my father: http://www.geocities.com/christianconcerns/index-ChristianScience.htm

Do you have a link you'd like to suggest? Or comments on any of these articles? E-mail me